Planar Magnetic Loudspeakers and Ribbon Tweeters
Planar magnetic drivers and ribbon tweeters provide many advantages over traditional dynamic speakers. Their large diaphragms only require just a tiny amount of movement (excursion), allowing them to create the same sound as traditional speakers.
They also have a dipolar pattern of radiation which means they radiate equally to the front and back of the speaker.
High-Resolution Sound
Planar and ribbon magnetic speakers are renowned for their ability to create precise, detailed sound. They are known for their high-resolution and reveal subtle nuances in the music that other drivers are unable to reproduce or show.
Planar and ribbon drivers are not just accurate, but also offer superior soundstages that allow them to reproduce a large soundstage with exceptional clarity. This makes them an excellent choice for audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts who are looking to enjoy music to the highest level possible.
Planar and ribbon drivers can be distinguished by their dipole pattern. This pattern emits equal amounts of energy in front and back in an inverted phase that creates a natural soundstage. This, combined with their wide dispersion, makes them ideal for large rooms, where they can fill the room with a a broad and natural soundstage, while avoiding unnatural reflections off the walls and furniture.
Planar magnetic drivers have a fast response time, which allows them to reproduce transients with greater accuracy and quickly than cone drivers. This results in a clear and precise sound, even at very high frequencies.
Planar magnetic drivers are known for their low distortion. This is due to the fact that they don't utilize a voice-coil, but an electrostatic field. This allows the diaphragms move without causing vibrations which could cause distortion.
A planar driver also has a larger gap between the magnets than cone speakers. This results in a better frequency response and lower distortion at low amplitudes, but still delivering excellent bass performance.
Despite their many benefits, planar magnetic speakers have a few limitations to consider. For example, they can be quite costly and require more power than other types of speakers. They can also be bulky, making it difficult to fit in certain areas. Additionally, they are sensitive to room acoustics and require extensive room treatments to achieve optimal performance. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize these problems, such as by adding an attenuation resistor (provided with your speakers) in the attenuation location, or by performing some type of room treatment.
Wide Dispersion
Like electrostatic speakers, planar magnetic speakers produce sound by controlling the electrical charge that travels through wires that are suspended between magnets. However they directly vibrate a flat diaphragm rather than an electrostatic charge, which means they have a larger surface area and greater precision. This principle allows them to be incorporated into smaller and more affordable headsets and speakers as opposed to electrostatic models.
Planar drivers aren't just capable of dispersing sound effectively they also offer superior imaging and clarity at higher frequencies. This is a huge advantage for audiophiles who enjoy listening to their favorite music or movies in a large living room or other open space.
Planar drivers also can produce a very deep bass, as they can be augmented by boxed subwoofers that are connected to or separated from the ribbon-like membrane. This is in contrast to traditional cone speaker woofers, which are typically located in the bottom of the cabinet, a location which is unable to reproduce bass frequencies because of the physical constraints of the woofer enclosure.
Another advantage of the planar driver is that it has extremely low distortion that is directly related to the size and excursion of the ribbon-like diaphragm. As a result, the planar speaker can deliver an extremely high volume of sound with very little distortion, which is why it gives such a clear and detailed sound.
In comparison the dynamic drivers utilized in traditional headphones and speakers typically exhibit significant amounts of distortion when they are driven to extreme excursion limits. Dynamic drivers can create an unnatural or booming sound.
Planar magnetic drivers are extremely efficient. They require less power to drive, which results in a lower power usage and reduced environmental impact. Furthermore, their diaphragms typically made of lighter materials than conventional speakers, which reduces the amount of energy required to propel them to create the desired sound pressure.
Many audiophiles are familiar with planar/ribbon loudspeakers - particularly those produced by Magnepan, Infinity, and Apogee Acoustics - a new generation of brands are entering the market. For instance new planar loudspeakers made by manufacturers such as Diptyque and Clarisys Audio are incorporating the most advanced ribbon technology.
Low Distortion
Because planar magnetic speakers don't have a cone or dome-shaped diaphragm, they produce extremely low distortion. This is the direct consequence of their unique design which eliminates the voice coil inductance commonly associated with traditional dynamic speakers (see U.S. Patent 6,353,560). This results in the diaphragm never being out of phase with the surrounding magnetic field, resulting in the output level remains constant. Typically, distortion only occurs when large amplitude waveforms are reproduced. With a single-ended planar magnetic driver, distortion is virtually absent in all frequencies above the bass.
Planar magnetic loudspeakers are extremely efficient and have low distortion. headphonesshop allows the drive to operate with a much lower power consumption than is typically required for other speaker technologies. This results in lower cost of ownership and less energy consumption.
Planar magnetic drivers also have a significantly lower distortion than conventional dynamic speakers and even less distortion for electrostatic speakers. This is because the planar magnet driver's flat diaphragm is equipped with a conductor trace that allows it react to magnetic fields that are generated on either side.
The two magnets must be carefully positioned so that the voice element is in the magnetic field at optimum levels throughout the time. This allows magnetic drivers that are planar to function at a very linear level in all frequencies above bass.
There are many other benefits of planar magnetic drivers, the most notable is that they are able to be designed to be dipole (radiating equally and in opposite phases both in front and back of the speaker, similar to an ESL) or monopole (radiating forward, similar to an old-fashioned dynamic). This allows for a variety of designs, particularly when paired with using a ribbon-tweeter.
There are a variety of planar magnetic loudspeakers on the market today, from brands like Hifiman Dan Clark Audeze and Fostex. Each company has their own unique sound that is the result of their own patented driver configurations and other technological innovations. The commonality among these speakers is their amazing quality, dynamic, and controlled control of directivity.
High Power Handling
Planar magnetic speakers can handle more power than traditional dynamic moving coil drivers without the audible strain and stress that they can cause. The "voice coil" is not squeezed into the tiny space between the baskets and cones like in traditional dynamic drivers. Instead it is spread over more of a large area. This gives the voice-coil an increased surface area to disperse any heat.
Another reason why planar magnetic drivers are able to handle so much power is due to having the smallest mass when in comparison to conventional drivers. Dynamic drivers feature diaphragms that are heavy and thick. They are a tenth of a pound larger and heavier than ultra-light diaphragms used in the planar magnetic drive. Due to their massive mass, conventional diaphragms need a greater amount of force in order to move forwards and backwards (a measurement called excursion) to produce a certain level of sound pressure.
They're not able to be driven as much as a planar magnetic driver, because the voice coil will begin to produce significant distortion. It is therefore essential to purchase loudspeakers that are designed for the amplifier you intend to use.
The high excitation of a planar magnetic driver also enables it to generate a much wider soundstage than conventional drivers. This is because the diaphragm itself vibrates to create an even, flat wavefront, rather than the more centered spherical wavefront found in conventional drivers. The wider soundstage also improves the accuracy and detail of the speakers and allows them to better reproduce subtle nuances and complex sounds.
The disadvantage of the superior power handling offered by planar magnetic drives is that they can be more expensive to manufacture and require stronger amplifiers to drive them to their maximum capacity. They can be massive and heavy, making it difficult to install them in certain environments. You may also need to install a separate subwoofer if you want to achieve satisfactory results at lower frequencies.